Seven Days
TypeAlternative weekly
Owner(s)
  • Pamela Polston
  • Paula Routly
  • Don Eggert
  • Cathy Resmer
  • Colby Roberts
PublisherDa Capo Publishing
Founded1995
HeadquartersBurlington, Vermont
OCLC number38931753
Websitewww.sevendaysvt.com Edit this at Wikidata

Seven Days is an alternative weekly newspaper[1] that is distributed every Wednesday in Vermont. The American Newspapers Representatives estimate Seven Days' circulation to be 35,000 papers.[2] It is distributed free of charge throughout Burlington, Middlebury, Montpelier, Stowe, the Mad River Valley, Rutland, St. Albans, and Plattsburgh, New York.[3]

Seven Days is published by Da Capo Publishing, Inc., and is owned by Paula Routly and a group of longtime employees.

Seven Days covers many aspects of life in Vermont. Columns and stories in the newspaper often concern such topics as state and local politics, Vermont organizations and charities, and general human interest stories. It also features local music listings, an alternative comics section, art, movie, and theater reviews, event listings, local dining, classified advertisements, and personals. Each year, Seven Days asks its readers to place votes for the "Seven Daysies," which is a compilation of favorite people and places to visit throughout the state.[3]

In addition to publishing Seven Days, Da Capo hosts two annual events in Vermont: Vermont Restaurant Week and the Vermont Tech Jam.[4]

History

Seven Days was founded in 1995 by reporters Pamela Polston and Paula Routly.[5] The original capital investment of $68,000 by angel investors was repaid within three years.[5] Originally, the paper's title was going to be the Vermont Voice, however a dispute over the name caused them to settle on Seven Days instead.[5] Circulation of the newspaper in 1995 was around 12,000.[6]

Angelo Lynn, owner and publisher of the Addison County Independent (a local newspaper based in Middlebury, VT) was a valued mentor to the pair of owners as they got their start.[5]

From 1995 - 2002 Seven Days saw a 20% increase in revenue each year.[7]

In 2013 Seven Days expanded its weekly circulation to 36,000 by including the Northeast Kingdom in its distribution radius.[6]

Pamela Polston and Paula Routly, who co-founded the paper, were inducted into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2015.[4] Consulting editor Candace Page was inducted into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2017.[8]

In 2019, Seven Days hired reporter Kate O'Neill to launch a year-long project reporting on the opioid epidemic in Vermont.[9]

In March 2020, with a decline in advertising revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic, Seven Days temporarily laid off seven employees.[10]

Awards

Vermont Press Association

[11]
Year Award Place Individual (if applicable)
2015-2016 Best of Vermont, General Excellence (non-daily) 2nd
2016-2017 Best of Vermont, General Excellence (non-daily) 1st
2016-2017 Outstanding Website (non-daily) 1st
2015-2016 Mavis Doyle Award Honorable Mention Mark Davis
2016-2017 Mavis Doyle Award 1st Alicia Freese
2015-2016 Rookie of the Year (all newspapers) 2nd Kymelya Sari
2016-2017 Rookie of the Year (all newspapers) 1st Jordan Adams
2015-2016 Best State Story (non-daily) 1st

3rd

Paul Heintz

Mark Davis

2016-2017 Best State Story (non-daily) 2nd

Honorable Mention

Mark Davis

Paul Heintz

2015-2016 Best Local Story (non-daily) 2nd

Honorable Mention

Mark Davis

Alicia Freese

2016-2017 Best Local Story (non-daily) 1st Molly Walsh
2015-2016 John Donoghue Award for Arts Criticism (all) 1st

2nd

3rd

Dan Bolles

Alex Brown

Rachel Elizabeth Jones

2016-2017 John Donoghue Award for Arts Criticism (all) 1st

2nd

3rd

Rachel Elizabeth Jones

Jordan Adams

Dan Bolles

2015-2016 Column Writing - Features/Lifestyle/Humor (non-daily) 1st Dan Bolles
2016-2017 Column Writing - Features/Lifestyle/Humor (non-daily) 1st

3rd

Ken Picard

Dan Bolles

2016-2017 Column Writing - Political/Hard News (non-daily) 1st

2nd

3rd

Paul Heintz

John Walters

Paul Heintz

2015-2016 General News Photo (non-daily) 1st

3rd

Matthew Thorsen

Matthew Thorsen

2015-2016 Feature Photo (non-daily) 2nd Matthew Thorsen
2015-2016 Sports Photo (non-daily) 1st James Buck

Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce

2000 - Business of the Year[6]

Burlington Business Association

2008 - Business of the Year[6]

Recognition

2013 - Editor & Publisher - "10 Newspapers that Do It Right"[12]

2013 - The Atlantic article "Strange Tales from the North Country: A Profitable (Print) Newspaper"[13]

References

  1. ^ Felsenthal, Carol (9 October 2015). "Jane O'Meara Sanders, future first lady?". The Hill. Washington, DC. ISSN 1521-1568. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015.
  2. ^ "American Newspapers Representatives - Vermont" (PDF). Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Seven Days Vermont Newspaper : Free Texts : Free Download, Borrow and Streaming : Internet Archive". archive.org. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  4. ^ a b footnote, Press Release Jan 21 2015 | one reader (2015-01-21). "Seven Days founders to be inducted into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame". VTDigger. Retrieved 2019-06-21.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ a b c d Joyce, Marcel (September 1, 2001). "Pamela Polston and Paula Routly of Seven Days". Vermont Business Magazine. 29: 16.
  6. ^ a b c d "Seven Days Increases Circulation to 36,000". Targeted News Service. July 23, 2013.
  7. ^ Kelley, Kevin (February 1, 2002). "New media plugged into Chittenden County". Vermont Business Magazine. 30: 69 – via ProQuest US Newsstream.
  8. ^ footnotes, Press Release Feb 28 2017 | no reader (2017-02-28). "Candace Page Inducted Into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame". VTDigger. Retrieved 2019-06-21.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Seven Days hires Kate O'Neill for a new reporting project on the opioid epidemic". Vermont Business Magazine. 2019-01-22. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  10. ^ Heintz, Paul (23 March 2020). "Media Note: Seven Days Lays Off Seven Employees". Seven Days. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Seven Days Wins 30 Vermont Press Association Awards". Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. December 1, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  12. ^ Ackermann, Kristina (March 4, 2013). "10 Newspapers That Do It Right 2013". Editor & Publisher. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2021. This year's 10 Newspapers That Do It Right are all prime examples of how newspapers can flex their marketing muscle to take back their place in the community, produce the high-quality products that readers demand, and update their sales tactics to accommodate the needs of modern advertisers.
  13. ^ Fallows, James (September 20, 2013). "Strange Tales from the North Country: A Profitable (Print) Newspaper". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 11, 2018.

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